Meet Pineapple - the three-year-old cobalt budgerigar. She is the quite the character! Before I show off my baby girl, let's get a bit of history out of the way:

I've welcomed six budgies into my home over the years, and they all made an impact on my life. But none like Chip or Pineapple. Chip was my first pet bird, he was a mature, tame, loyal, funny, playful olive budgie who stole the hearts of everyone around him. He was my best friend in the entire world. I had never bonded with any other animal like I did with Chip, so you could imagine how his passing absolutely tore me down. Before he passed, he had two other cage mates - Bel and Taco. Bel and Taco were noisy and timid, but that didn't mean I didn't love them. After Chip passed, I couldn't let myself bond with Bel or Taco, at least not the way I did with Chip. Bel and Taco were Chip's age, they didn't pass on much longer after he did. I loved them all, yes, but the hardest thing for me was Chip. After that, I didn't think I'd ever find a budgie like Chip, I didn't think it was possible. A few years after they passed, I adopted a budgie named Dipper. He's the wildest budgie I've owned, and he's one of the noisiest. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to gain his full trust - which made it difficult for me to form a relationship. A year after I adopted Dipper, I decided to adopt another bird. I went into the pet store looking for another male, because I never had good luck with pets that were females (Bel was okay), and males generally seemed to be the better fit for me. But when I saw that tiny, fluffy, gorgeous blue budgie, I couldn't resist. Little did I know that I had just adopted the most amazing, beautiful, solicitous budgie girl in the world.

Pineapple stole Dipper's heart the moment she climbed up on the perch in the top left corner of the cage. Dipper immediately went over to introduce himself to Pineapple, and fell in love with her. The two were preening and cuddling from day one.

The first thing I do whenever I adopt a new budgie is clip their wings and make sure their claws are at an appropriate length - which they normally are, but when I adopted Pineapple, her claws were very long and were beginning to curl. All of my budgies, even Chip, were hasty when I clipped their wings. You see, I clip their wings in the bathroom, so when/if they fly away, they won't get lost. I had to climb up on counter tops and bathtubs to carefully get a hold on the previous birds. Pineapple; however, stood very still. She didn't attempt to run away or fly away, and she didn't whine when I held her wing. From that moment, I had a feeling she would be a tame bird.

When I first brought Pineapple home, she seemed to rely on me. I often let my budgies fly around my room, and at times around the house. The first time I let Pineapple out to explore the room with Dipper, she followed me around, trying to climb on to my shirt or climbing up to my finger. At first, I was warmed by her intense dependence on me, but I also wanted her to explore with Dipper. After a few weeks she started doing things on her own.

I've always had a difficult time making friends, and when I lost Chip, it got even harder. Over a short course of time Pineapple and I formed an unbreakable bond. Much like Chip, I went to her when I was feeling down and she never failed to cheer me up. Small things like a sneeze or a quick feather ruffle would make me smile and brighten my mood.

Then I did something that I never did before with any of my birds, not even with Chip. I took her outside. Pineapple didn't hesitate to crawl through the grass, which must've been a jungle to her, being so young. She rubbed her head on the grass, chirped, and hopped around. I bent down and lowered my hand out and she climbed onto my finger and we took a walk through the neighborhood. Pineapple loved it. She was turning around, looking left and right. I think she may have even been attempting to communicate with the wild birds. At the time, Pineapple was still a baby, and I couldn't imagine that she'd let anyone except me hold her. Sure enough a young kid walked up to me and asked, "Is that a bird?" Pineapple was bobbing her head now, letting out excited chirps. She even let him pet her, which amazed me. During the walk she never once flew off my finger. She was content where she was and so was I. Yes, it's fun to play with birds but it isn't fun to play with them in one room all the time. Sometimes a taste of adventure is all you need.

Pineapple's favorite item in her cage is a Basketball hoop and mirror from JW Pet Company Activitoys. She spends a lot of her time with it as well. Every night she sleeps on the left side of the basket.

Pineapple is definitely photogenic. In every picture I've taken of her, it appears she's actually posing for the camera. She loves getting her picture taken!

When Pineapple is out and about, she always finds new adventures around the house. She loves crawling under tight spaces and through tunnels, she loves going inside of things, she loves climbing up ladders and even blinds. One time she climbed inside a toddler toy house and turned around to peep her head out the peephole as if she was asking "Take my picture!" So of course I couldn't resist!

Not only is Pineapple an amazing friend to me, but she's also befriended my Yorkie, Marlo. They spend a lot of time together. Pineapple even flies on Marlo's back and goes for a ride around the house!

Pineapple has never failed to make me laugh. She always makes me happy and she's always there for me when I need her.